Baseball bat with training weight



July 28, 1970 F. G. HAMILTON BASEBALL BAT WITH TRAINING WEIGHT INVENTOE FRANK G. HAMILTON av g, %M &,

ATTORNEY Filed No v I I I 1 United States Patent US. Cl. 273-26 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A training device in the form of a weight and adapted to be used with a baseball bat, the weight being substantially symmetrical about one axis and having a bore, the weight fitting around a section of the baseball bat near the baseball bats widest section.

This invention relates to the sport of baseball and more particularly relates to a training device in the form of a weight to be used in conjunction with a baseball bat and adapted to improve the batting ability of the batter.

In the past weighted baseball bats have been used to improve the muscular coordination and strength of a batter. These weighted baseball bats are usually made by taking a wooden baseball bat, drilling a chamber longitudinally into the larger end of the bat, and then filling the chamber with a dense material such as lead. A weighted baseball bat thereby results which can be used for the intended purpose of improving muscular coordination and strength, but which cannot be used in any official baseball games. This problem is solved by the invention hereinafter described and claimed by providing a weight which may be used in conjunction with a baseball hat, but which is not an integral part of the baseball bat, and which may therefore be removed from the baseball bat, permitting the baseball bat to be used in ofiicial baseball games.

This invention is a training device which is to be used in conjunction with a baseball bat, the training device being a weight having a bore, and adapted to fit around a section of a baseball bat, which may be a regulation baseball bat.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of weighting a baseball bat with a view towards developing the wrist and forearm and the snap of the wrist of the batter.

A further object of the invention is to adapt a baseball bat to develop the batting action of the batter by weighting the outer portion of the baseball bat with a removable weight.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weight with which a baseball bat may be weighted in such a manner as to develop the forearms and wrist and snap of the wrist of the batter, by placing the weight around a portion of the baseball bat, the weight being held in place by the curvature of the baseball bat and through the action of frictional resistance.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means of non-destructively weighting a regulation baseball bat in such a manner as to enable a batter to develop muscular coordination and strength and to perfect a swing, snap-action, and feel for the baseball bat.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specifications proceed and with reference to the accompanying drawings where- FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical form of baseball bat with the invention, in one of its many embodiments as hereinafter described and claimed, afiixed to the baseball bat in a typical location;

r ice FIG. 2 is an orthographic view of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the invention taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, in one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the invention, the view being similar to the view shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the invention in a second alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the invention in a third alternate embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the invention in a fourth alternate embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a section of the fourth alter nate embodiment which is shown in FIG. 7, and depicts the clamping means shown in FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings in which the same parts have been given the same numerals in the several figures:

In FIG. 1 the weight 10 is shown in a typical position near the widest section of the baseball hat 9. The weight is shown having an axis of symmetry a-a which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the baseball hat 9 passing through the center of the handle 11 and the center of the opposite end of the baseball bat.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the weight 10 is shown in the form of a truncated cone having a conical bore, resulting in an inner face 12 and an outer face 13, with the truncated cone and the conical bore having a common axis of symmetry.

In FIG. 4 the weight is also shown in the form of a truncated cone having a conical bore, resulting in an inner face 12 and an outer face 13, but with the weight shown in FIG. 4 having an inner core 14 and an outer shell 15 surrounding the inner core.

The weight 10 and the inner core 14 are preferably made of a dense material, such as steel or cast iron.

The outer shell 15 consists preferably of a resilient material, such as rubber, and is provided to prevent any possible gouging of the baseball hat by the inner core 14 and also to increase the frictional resistance between the weight and the baseball bat, since the weight is in part maintained in place around the baseball hat by frictional resistance. The resilient material may be provided for only a portion of the inner face 12, such as depicted for the inner face 16 of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, without afiecting its function.

The inner face 12 is tapered to permit a greater surface area to make contact With the sloping surface of the baseball hat 9. However, although preferable, the inner face 12 need not necessarily be tapered.

The minimum diameter of the bore through the weight will be smaller than the maximum diameter of the baseball bat at the baseball bats widest section. Also, the weight need not have any particular geometrical shape as long as the mass of the weight is substantially symmetrically distributed around the central axis a-a.

In using the weight the bat handle 11 is first placed through the bore in the weight and the weight is then advanced towards the widest section of the bat until the inner face of the weight makes firm contact with the baseball bat.

In FIG. 5 the weight is shown provided with screws 17 which may be advanced through the solid section of the weight towards the bat and which may be used in clamping the weight to the bat.

In FIG. 6 the weight is shown in segmented form, with segments 19 and 20 being connected by hinge 18. A clamping means is provided to bring the free ends of the segments together, the clamping means comprising brackets 21 afiixed to the segments and the brackets each having a hole in spacial relationship with the other so that the shank of a bolt 22 may be passed through the holes and the brackets may be advanced towards each other by tightening the nut 23, thereby varying the diameter of the bore and, when the weight is around the baseball bat, clamping the weight to the bat.

FIG. 7 shows the weight in segmented form, somewhat similar to FIG. 6 but with different clamping means, with segments 24- and 25 being connected by hinge 18. The clamping means, also shown in FIG. 8, comprises a winged member 26 connected to the free end of segment 24 and to which there is pivotally connected by means of pin 28 a pivotal member 27. A knob member 31 is slideably mounted on the pivotal member 27 and is biased towards pin 28 by spring means 32. Segment 25 is provided with a forked member 29 connected thereto, the forked member 29 having a lip 30. The tongs of the forked member are separated by a distance greater than the width of the pivotal member 27 but less than the width of the knob member 31. The Weight is placed around the baseball bat 9 with the clamping means disengaged and the clamping means is then engaged by pivoting the pivotal member 27 towards the forked member 29 and through the tongs of the forked member 29 while the knob member 31 is being urged away from pin 28. The knob member 31 is then released, thereby clamping the weight to the bat.

While a number of different embodiments of the invention have herein been shown and described, it may readily be understood that various modifications and variations in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel conce ts thereof, as defined by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In combination, a conventional baseball bat and a training device which is adapted to improve the batting ability of the batter, said training device comprising a weight, the weight having a hole passing completely through the weight, the hole having a minimum width smaller than the widest section of the baseball bat, said minimum hole width being a substantially fixed dimension, the inner peripheral surface of the weight being substantially non-yieldable, the said minimum hole width being greater than the maximum diameter of the handle end of the baseball bat; and the weight being placed on the baseball bat in firm contact with the baseball hat by first placing the handle end through the hole and advancing the weight towards the widest section of the baseball bat, thereby increasing the mass of the baseball bat; the weight being held on the baseball bat at least in part through a wedging action existing between the sloping cir- I cumferential surface of the baseball bat and at least part of said inner peripheral surface defining the hole passing through the weight.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the weight has a mass which is distributed substantially symmetrically about one axis.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the hole is a bore through the weight, the bore having an axis of rotation substantially coinciding with the axis about which the mass of the weight is distributed.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein the bore is a conical bore.

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the weight comprises a truncated cone having a bore through the truncated cone, the bore having an axis of rotation which substantially coincides with the axis of rotation of the truncated cone.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein the bore is a conical bore.

7. The combination according to claim 1 wherein there is further provided an outer shell which at least partially covers the weight.

8. The combination according to claim 7 wherein the weight consists at least partially of a dense material and the outer shell consists at least partially of a resilient material.

9. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the training device also comprises at least one screw passing through a hole provided in the weight, the screw being adapted to clamp the weight to the baseball bat upon advancement of the screw towards the baseball bat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,203,893 6/1940 Chapman 273-193 X 2,447,218 8/ 1948 Trzesniewski 272-84 2,608,409 8/1952 Pinkerton 273-194 2,950,115 8/1960 Hurdzan 273-194 X 3,116,926 1/1964 Owen et a1 273-72 3,305,234 2/1967 Cline et al 272-84 3,351,346 11/1967 Strahan 273-193 1,030,982 7/1912 Dinger 273-72 1,676,270 7/1928 Mattison. 1,843,039 1/1932 Mohr 273-165 FOREIGN PATENTS 70,350 10/1915 Austria. 442,206 3/ 1927 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 273-72 

